Candidate for Venezuela National Constituent Assembly murdered

Candidate for the Venezuelan National Constituent Assembly Jose Luis Rivas Aranguren was murdered on Monday in the northern part of the country, according to media reports.

The incident occurred on Monday in Girardot, a municipality of the state of Aragua, the Telesur broadcaster reported.

The murderer reportedly shot Aranguren eight times and managed to escape. Further details of the assassination are unknown.

Venezuela has been experiencing a period of political instability for a long time because of the drastic economic situation in the country. The most recent protests erupted in April after the country’s Supreme Court tried to take over legislative powers from the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The top court reversed the ruling but the step did not stop the mass demonstrations.

In May, country’s President Nicolas Maduro announced his decision to call the constituent assembly, which was regarded by the opposition as an attempted coup and resulted in further escalation of tensions, which resulted in the deaths of over 90 people.